Fabrication of Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1−x)4 thin film solar cell by single step sulfo-selenization of stacked metallic precursors

We have synthesized an efficient Cu₂ZnSn(S_xSe_1−x)₄ (CZTSSe) absorbers by using single-step rapid thermal sulfo-selenization process of sputtered stack metallic precursor (Zn/Sn/Cu) films. The structural and morphological studies confirm that the suitability of the rapid thermal sulfo-selenization process for the synthesis of a CZTSSe absorber without any secondary phases with large grains. The annealing atmosphere with a mixed-chalcogen source enhances the grain growth of the CZTSSe absorber as compared with pure Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) and Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ (CZTSe) absorbers. The CZTSSe thin film solar cell shows the best conversion efficiency of ∼7%.     

Electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides as transparent electrode and anti-reflection coating for solar cells

We have studied the electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides (ITSOs) as transparent electrodes and anti-reflection coatings for Si-based solar cells. The ITSO thin films were obtained by co-sputtering of ITO and SiO₂ targets under target power control. The resistivity of the ITSO thin films deposited at 0.625 in terms of power ratio (ITO/SiO₂) were 391 Ωcm. In this condition, the ITSO thin films showed very high resistivity compared to sputted pure ITO thin films (1.08 × 10⁻³ Ωcm). However, refractive index of ITSO thin films deposited at the same condition at 500 nm is somewhat lowered to 1.97 compared to ITO thin films (2.06). The fabricated graded refractive index AR coatings using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ thin films kept over 80% of transmittance regardless of their thickness varing from 97 nm to 1196 nm because of their low extinction coefficient. As the AR coating with graded refractive indices using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ layers was applied to general silicon-based solar cell, the current level increased nearly twice more than that of bare silicon solar cell without AR coating.     

Thin-film multi-layer capacitors using Bi2Mg2/3Nb4/3O7 (BMNO) pyrochlore thin films via radio-frequency sputtering

Thin-film multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) were prepared using high-dielectric constant Bi₂Mg_2/3Nb_4/3O₇ thin-films deposited at room temperature via radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The multi-layer capacitors, in sizes 0402, 0603 and 1005, were well equipped with both inner and outer Cu electrodes. The capacitances of the bi-layer capacitors were twice that of the single-layer version in sizes 0402, 0603, and 1005. The 200 nm-thick Bi₂Mg_2/3Nb_4/3O₇ thin-films would be suitable for thin-film multi-layer capacitor applications.     

Effects of acid etching on the structure of PtNi catalyst and total exposed active sites

The integration technology of hydrogen preparation–hydrogen storage not only can utilize hydrogen energy efficiently but also can improve the selectivity of the electrode maximally. In the present work, the structure and composition of the PtNi catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD); and its electrochemical properties, morphology, and surface binding energy were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear scanning voltammetry (LSV), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The effects of different acid etching treatments (e.g., etching time, etchant concentration, and etching temperature) on the structure and surface active sites were investigated by the orthogonal experiment. The experimental results reveal that after etching with 0.5 mol/L of perchloric acid for 0.5 h at 60°C, the electrode weight loss of the PtNi catalyst is mainly attributed to the large loss of Ni atoms in film layer. This results in the reduced alloy phase in film layer and the appearance of Pt characteristic diffraction peak. The relative content of Pt on the surface of the film electrode increases significantly, and the total number of active sites also increases correspondingly. The binding energy of Pt4f_7/2 decreases by 0.19 eV, and the number of active sites involved in hydrogen release decreases, indicative of the reduced promotion effect of the PtNi catalyst on hydrogen release.     

Computing the distribution of the Robinson-Foulds distance

With the exponential growth of genome databases, the importance of phylogenetics has increased dramatically over the past years. Studying phylogenetic trees enables us not only to understand how genes, genomes, and species evolve, but also helps us predict how they might change in future. One of the crucial aspects of phylogenetics is the comparison of two or more phylogenetic trees. There are different metrics for computing the dissimilarity between a pair of trees. The Robinson-Foulds (RF) distance is one of the widely used metrics on the space of labeled trees. The distribution of the RF distance from a given tree has been studied before, but the fastest known algorithm for computing this distribution is a slow, albeit polynomial-time, O(l⁵) algorithm. In this paper, we modify the dynamic programming algorithm for computing the distribution of this distance for a given tree by leveraging the number-theoretic transform (NTT), and improve the running time from O(l⁵) to O(l³ log l), where l is the number of tips of the tree. In addition to its practical usefulness, our method represents a theoretical novelty, as it is, to our knowledge, one of the rare applications of the number-theoretic transform for solving a computational biology problem.     

K9和石英玻璃基片上Au膜真空紫外反射特性研究

采用离子束溅射法,分别在经过不同前期清洗方法处理过的K9及石英玻璃光学基片上,选择不同的镀膜参量,镀制了多种厚度的Au膜。对镀制的Au膜在真空紫外波段较宽波长范围内的反射率进行了连续测量。测试结果表明:辅助离子源的使用方式、Au膜厚度对反射镜的反射率有重大影响。基片材料、镀前基片表面清洗工艺等对反射率也有一定影响。采用镀前离子轰击,可显著提高Au膜反射率及膜与基底的粘合力;获得最高反射率时的最佳膜厚与基片材料、镀膜工艺密切相关。对经过离子清洗的石英基片,膜厚在30 nm左右反射率最高;比较而言,石英基片可获得更高的反射率;辅助离子源的使用还显著影响获得最高反射率时对应的最佳膜厚值,且对K9基片的影响更显著。     

氢对GaAs薄膜的钝化作用

报导了射频磁控溅射与沉积气氛掺氢相结合制备单层(13~20 nm厚)高质量GaAs多晶态纳米薄膜的方法,研究了氢钝化对薄膜微观结构及光学性质的影响.对GaAs薄膜进行了X射线衍射、原子力显微镜、吸收光谱、光致荧光谱的研究分析.结果表明,衬底温度500℃的掺氢薄膜和520℃的薄膜呈面心立方闪锌矿结构,薄膜的晶团尺寸较大,微观表面较为粗糙,其吸收光谱出现了吸收边蓝移和明显的激子峰,带隙光致荧光峰强明显增加,说明氢在衬底温度500℃~520℃下对薄膜有重要的钝化作用.     

ZnS衬底上GeC/GaP增透保护膜系的制备及红外光学性质

把GeC/GaP双层膜用作ZnS衬底的长波红外(8~11.5μm波段)增透保护膜系。采用射频磁控溅射法,以高纯Ar为工作气体、单晶GaP圆片为靶制备了GaP薄膜;用射频磁控反应溅射法在高纯Ar和CH4的混合气体中,以单晶Ge圆片为靶制备了GeC薄膜。分别用柯西(Cauchy)公式和乌尔巴赫(Urbach)公式表示折射率和吸收系数,对薄膜的红外透射率曲线进行最小二乘法拟合,得到了它们的厚度及折射率、吸收系数等光学常数。GaP膜的折射率与块体材料的相近,在波长10μm处约为2.9;GeC膜的折射率较小,在波长10μm处约为1.78。用所得到的薄膜折射率,通过计算机膜系自动设计软件在ZnS衬底上设计并制备出了GeC/GaP双层增透保护膜系,当GaP膜厚较大时,由于吸收增大膜系增透效果较差;当GaP膜厚较小时,膜系有较好的增透效果。     

机械磨抛对CdZnTe薄膜阻变特性的影响

采用磁控溅射法在ITO玻璃上制备了CdZnTe薄膜,探究机械磨抛对CdZnTe薄膜阻变特性的影响。通过对XRD图谱、Raman光谱、AFM显微照片等实验结果分析阐明了机械磨抛影响CdZnTe薄膜阻变特性的物理机制。研究结果表明,磁控溅射制备的薄膜为闪锌矿结构,F43m空间群。机械磨抛提高了CdZnTe薄膜的结晶质量;CdZnTe薄膜粗糙度(Ra)由磨抛前的3.42 nm下降至磨抛后的1.73 nm;磨抛后CdZnTe薄膜透过率和162 cm^-1处的类CdTe声子峰振动峰增强;CdZnTe薄膜的阻变开关比由磨抛前的1.2增加到磨抛后的4.9。机械磨抛提高CdZnTe薄膜质量及阻变特性的原因可能是CdZnTe薄膜在磨抛过程中发生了再结晶。     

RIG型磁光薄膜的研究进展及应用

随着光通信技术与光子集成电路的发展,非互易性器件作为光通信系统中重要的组成部分得到了越来越广泛的研究与应用。基于磁光效应制成的磁光隔离器和环行器是目前应用最为广泛的非互易性器件,为了将非互易性器件整块集成在硅片上,需制备性能与块状磁光材料相当的磁光薄膜。在近红外通信波段(1 550 nm),以钇铁石榴石(Y₃Fe₅O₁₂,YIG)为代表的稀土铁石榴石(RIG)具备优良的磁光效应,是最具应用前景的磁光材料之一。研究发现,使用稀土离子对YIG薄膜进行掺杂可以有效改善其磁光性能,尤其是Bi³⁺和Ce³⁺掺杂的YIG表现出巨法拉第效应。本文首先介绍了法拉第效应原理,介绍了三种常见磁光薄膜的生长方法,回顾了近年来的主要研究成果,介绍了磁光薄膜在光隔离器和环行器中的应用,最后对磁光薄膜的未来发展趋势进行了展望。